Parametric Study of Heat Transfer in Injection Molding—Effect of Thermal Contact Resistance

Thermal contact resistance (TCR) plays an important role in the heat transfer during injection molding. However, there is no consensus on the magnitude of TCR to be used in simulation as most of the reported results are based on steady state experiments. A numerical simulation of the heat transfer in injection molding is used in studying its effect and significance. The TCR is shown to attain its maximum magnitude in the postfilling period, and more accurate values than those available in literature are required for a better simulation of the postfilling stage. The effect of interface gap formation between the plastic and the mold on the contact resistance is also studied. This shows that the gap may have contributed to the high magnitude of TCR reported from the one experimental study of TCR in injection molding. However, the gap formation is shown to be dependent on the part geometry as well as processing conditions—in terms of shrinkage and warpage effects. The gap is both a function of time and space (location on the part surface) and this makes any experimental determination of the gap and TCR difficult. [S1087-1357(00)01404-0]